With VAR we would have won - Heckingbottom

Preston North End boss Paul Heckingbottom criticised the officiating after Tuesday's 1-0 defeat by Birmingham City at Deepdale.

The Lilywhites suffered back-to-back league losses for the first time this season after Phil Neumann's first-half goal gave Blues all three points.

"First and foremost, let's talk about the players, they were magnificent and I am really proud of them." Heckingbottom told BBC Radio Lancashire.

"This is another game where we have shown that it is not about what you spend, it is about preparing properly and going out to execute it.

"It is another game where our goalkeeper has not had a save to make and we have had however many shots.

"Anyone that watches us knows we are refereed to a different standard to everyone else and they shouldn't be allowed to have that much of an influence on a game of football, it is scandalous really.

"The first free-kick, we win the ball and they are saying Keshi Anderson has been caught in the face - all right, he has been caught as we are coming away with the ball.

"Then they put the ball in and Phil scores with his hand, so we are then up against it.

"A couple of minutes later, Ben Whiteman gets a hand in his face and busts his lip, nowhere near the ball and I could see it on the other side of the pitch.

"This is my point, it is just not good enough. These incidents are just rife across football, and this is meant to be the fifth best league in the world.

"I am a fan of VAR because we would have won that game. We would have won so many games last year if we had it."